Shot in the Dark
by ece23
Summary: Starsky is kidnapped by a madman with a grudge, and Hutch must find him before it's too late. But he has no idea where to start, and he's in danger himself.
1. Chapter 1

**Shot in the Dark**

**Chapter 1**

**Same disclaimers as usual: don't own anyone except the bad guy**

"You know what Hutch?" Starsky asked over his empty glass. "I think, that criminals should only commit crimes when _we're_ not on duty."

"Why? We'd only have to bust them when we were on duty for breaking that rule", Hutch recited, having had this conversation several times before in different variations. They'd known each other so long that sometimes it seemed as though one knew what the other was going to say before he said it, and they often finished each others' thoughts, or automatically knew what the other was planning.

They were relaxing in the bar after a hard day, and Starsky was reaching that stage of not being able to shut up. It was the end of a long week and they were looking forward to their days off. They'd been working on a complex case, and there'd been a seemingly endless amount of paperwork, with Dobey never satisfied with Starsky's reports. It always amused Hutch, how Starsky could be so tough when he needed to be, and so childlike at other times. The image of Starsky playing with a train set entered his head, and he smiled.

"What's so funny blondie?" asked Starsky, noticing the smile.

"You."

"Oh." Starsky made a thinking-face, seeming unable to work out whether he should be offended or not, and finally decided on not. He couldn't remember what he'd just asked anyway. He decided to continue with a new topic of conversation.

"Hutch? Have you ever noticed how lions get the best names for everything? Like, their group is called a _pride_ of lions. Or the female gets called a _lioness_."

Hutch rolled his eyes. "Buddy, have _you _ever noticed that your conversation makes no sense when you're drunk?" he checked his watch. "Come on pal, we'd best be getting home. Stuff to do tomorrow." Starsky looked at his own watch, then at Hutch's, finding no difference in the results.

They left the bar, and headed for Hutch's car, which they'd been using for work that day. Starsky always complained how he was ashamed to be seen in it, but it was definitely better to use when they didn't want the criminals to recognise them; Starsky's car would be recognised a mile off, with its bright red paint and white stripe that seemed to say "Look at me!"

Hutch was not quite as tipsy as his partner, and still capable of driving, in the battered old LTD that he claimed had 'character'.

He drove in silence to Starsky's home. Luckily Starsky was now reaching the stage of falling asleep, and the nonsensical questions had stopped. He dropped Starsky off and they said their goodbyes, promising to talk in the morning, and Starsky headed for his door, digging in the pocket of his tight jeans for his keys. The keys dropped to the ground and he bent down to retrieve them, but never made it, as he felt a heavy object hit him over the head, he dropped to his knees, and everything went dark.

***

Hutch woke up to the sun streaming into his bedroom and savoured the feeling for a moment before getting out of bed and heading for the bathroom.

He called Starsky, but got no answer, and gave up after 12 rings. _Probably still sleeping off last night, _he thought with a grin. Starsky wasn't known for being an early riser at the best of times. He went to the kitchen to make a health shake, grinning as he thought what Starsky would say about it, then thought about what he needed to get done that day.

Hutch spent the morning paying bills and shopping for groceries. Working long hours on the weekdays, they didn't get a lot of other time to do those things. When he got back to his apartment, he tried calling Starsky again, but still got no answer, and assumed that Starsky was busy like himself. However, by lunchtime, Hutch was starting to get concerned. There was still no answer from Starsky, and they were meant to meet that afternoon to go to the beach. Even on a Saturday it wasn't like him to sleep this long and ignore the phone, and if he'd gone out he should be back by now. He decided to head over to Starsky's apartment. Maybe he was worrying about nothing and Starsky would be annoyed with Hutch for checking up on him, but it would be better than not knowing.

***

The Torino was still parked outside the building, Hutch noticed as he pulled up next to it, but he couldn't decide if that was good or bad. Starsky hadn't gone out in the car, but if he hadn't gone out, why hadn't he answered the phone? He went up to the door and knocked, quietly at first, then louder. "Starsk? It's me", he called, "You alive in there buddy?" Getting no answer, he reached up for the spare key on the doorframe and let himself in.

He cautiously pushed open the door and peered round it, and not seeing Starsky in the living area he entered the room. The curtains were open, so Starsky must have opened them this morning. _Or he didn't close them last night, _said a voice in his head. Hutch headed to the bedroom next, but still no sign of Starsky. The bed was neatly made, all the covers tucked in, and Hutch started to get an uneasy feeling. In the kitchen, there were no dishes in the sink, no coffee cup out, no dishes drying by the sink. No sign of anyone having used it that day. The blond man was definitely worried now. Starsky wouldn't go without breakfast if he didn't have to. And where would he have gone without his car?

Hutch headed back outside, and it was there that his cops' eyes managed to spot a few drops of blood on the driveway.

Heading back into the building, he went to Starsky's closet and pulled it open, seeing Starsky's gun inside. He pulled it out and tucked it into the back of his own belt, then headed back outside.

Getting quickly back into his car, he started to head for the police station.

"Starsk, where are you?" he asked the silence.


	2. Chapter 2

**Shot in the Dark**

**Chapter 2**

_Consciousness hurts, _thought Starsky as he woke up to the worst headache he'd ever had. At first he thought he'd gone blind, but quickly realised the room was dark. _I didn't drink that much, did I?_

Reaching up to his head and finding what felt like dried blood in his curls, he realised that he was in more trouble than he thought. This headache wasn't just alcohol-induced; he remembered now how he was hit outside his apartment after saying goodnight to Hutch. However, he stayed calm and tried to assess the situation, using his cop's instincts to find out as much as he could about where he was, which wasn't easy in the dark. He was in an apparently windowless room, but he couldn't tell how large it was due to the darkness, or whether anyone else was in there. Someone had obviously hit him over the head and brought him here. But why? And they knew where he lived, they must have waited for him to come back before attacking him. What for?

A door suddenly opened, and Starsky heard the sound, but still couldn't see a thing. It was then that his mind registered the feeling of cloth on his face, and he realised he was blindfolded. His hands were also tied in front of him.

"Hello Dave", called a mean voice that he didn't recognise, "here's the plan. You stay here in the dark. Every hour I fire a bullet in, in any direction I feel like. Maybe more often, if I feel like that. It's time someone taught you a lesson."

"Yeah? Why do I get the feeling there's more you're not telling me? And who are ya anyway?" asked Starsky with a bravado he didn't feel, knowing that the way out of these things usually involved doing something he would never do, and wondering who this guy was that called him by his name.

"If you get hit you lose."

"Lose? What the hell does that mean, lose what? Answer my damn questions!" he yelled, getting angrier.

"If you want Hutchinson dead, you'll find out."

"I'll kill Hutch myself, him leaving me like that, not waiting to make sure I got inside the apartment before he went home." Starsky rambled, needing to hide any fear he felt, and unable to stop himself wisecracking, although he didn't feel particularly like laughing.

The man strode over and grabbed his hair roughly, silencing him with a kick to the ribs that left him gasping for air. "I mean it. You get hit, and I go get Hutchinson, bring him here, and do what I should have done a long time ago." _And have a lot of fun with both of you in the meantime, _he silently added, so that Starsky almost heard his cruel thought. The man gave him one more kick for good measure, then left him alone with his thoughts.

***

With no perception of time due to the darkness, things seemed to drag on forever. He'd never realised how much he depended on sight to function, and the enforced darkness was making him increasingly claustrophobic. Also, the only thing he had to occupy his mind was his thoughts, and he didn't much like them. The only way he had of telling how much time had passed was when he heard shots, followed by the guy's laughter, and he couldn't even be sure how regular they were. It scared him more than he thought it would, not knowing where the shots were coming from or where they were going. The first few times he was lucky, leading him to believe that the room he was in was fairly big. The shots echoed, and he could hear the sound of them striking walls that felt as though they weren't that near to him.

It was some hours later that he noticed the ropes on his wrists were not as tight as they could have been. After some considerable effort, and the use of his teeth, he managed to loosen them enough to force them off. He then reached up and dragged off the blindfold, only to nearly cry with despair when he realised the room was still dark. He also felt even more anger towards the man who'd trapped him here: why blindfold a man in the dark? Then it occurred to him that it had been so that he wouldn't see the man's face when he came into the room all those hours ago.

When he tried to move around to find out more about the room where he was being held, he stumbled over something very nearby on his first attempt, and feeling around in the darkness, he discovered more objects that would likely trip him up if he tried again. They felt like assorted junk: chairs, buckets, a mop, and some unrecognisable stuff. Some kind of storeroom or basement?

***

He thought that he'd been in there all night and most of a day, when his luck ran out. The darkness had made his hearing extra sensitive, and he knew the guy with the gun was coming back. He'd been trying to feel his way around the room again, looking for any possible means of escape, but found nothing he could use. As on the previous occasions, he tried to predict where the bullet would go, so he could try to dodge. This time, his guess was wrong. He knew this as he felt a feeling like fire invade his chest.

He tried desperately not to cry out, though it was getting hard to breathe through the pain. Maybe the guy wouldn't realise he was hit, and this thing could go on long enough for Hutch to find him without getting caught by this guy, although he knew that he didn't want Hutch to come here if it meant that would put him in danger. However, the sound of a bullet hitting walls or floor was different to the sound it made when hitting flesh.

"You still alive, Dave?" asked the cruel voice, managing to use his first name in the most unfriendly way possible.

"Yeah...I'm just fine", Starsky told him, trying not to show pain in his voice.

"Sure you are. I gotcha, didn't I?"

"No" he gritted out, although he didn't know how much longer he could keep up the act. Finally he involuntarily moaned, and that was all the guy needed to hear: Starsky could hear his footsteps retreating outside the door. Starsky knew that Hutch was now in trouble, and it was his fault. "Sorry Hutch" he mumbled. Unfortunately, his mind wouldn't allow him the luxury of unconsciousness, and so he was left alone, in the dark, and hurt, with nothing but his thoughts for company. The first person to come to his thoughts, was, of course, Hutch. He really hoped that whatever this mess was that he was in, Hutch wasn't in too much trouble.

Memories of his partner filled his mind, and he let them distract him from the hurt. Hutch lifting him off the floor in the Italian restaurant. Holding his hand across the desk when he thought he was going to die from the poison. Arriving just in time to save him from being knifed by Simon Marcus' followers. And then lighter memories. Playing chess late one night and distracting his friend by talking, long enough to win the game. Numerous games of pool and table tennis. He could almost hear his partner's velvety voice saying "I'm here babe. Right here." He tried desperately to remember what that felt like, having his partner right there holding on to him, reassuring him with those words.

And then he heard a door slam, and he knew the guy had gone out.


	3. Chapter 3

**Shot in the Dark**

**Chapter 3**

Hutch yawned and rubbed a hand over his face. It was evening now, and all the worry about Starsky was taking its toll. He'd tried to look for some more simple explanation for why he couldn't find Starsky, and tried driving around near his home for a while, and checking on places they visited frequently, but the blood he'd seen on the driveway still convinced him that something was really wrong, and now he'd come into the station aiming to look through old records of cases they'd worked on, in the hope of finding some kind of lead.

At this point Hutch was trying anything in order to get some ideas that might help him find Starsky, but he didn't have a clue where to start. They'd made a lot of enemies over the years, and there were a lot of people who'd love to take some revenge on his partner and himself. For the moment though, he was looking through the records of the guys they'd arrested on that case they just finished. That seemed as good a place to start as any, and maybe they had some friends who wanted him and his partner dead, or at least to have some 'fun' with them? He noticed that these guys had a lot of history, and reading an old report, he saw that they'd almost been caught before, but got away when a cop failed to give chase. Frowning, he read that that cop's partner had been killed in the incident.

Dobey entered the room, and seeing Hutch, he crossed the room to him and peered at what he was reading. Dobey was aware of the situation by this time, and he knew that Hutch wouldn't rest until his partner was found.

At first he had thought that Hutch was overreacting too soon, and that maybe Starsky was just busy, but when Hutch had told the captain that Starsky didn't appear to have been in his apartment all night, as well as the fact that they had made firm plans to meet up that day, Dobey had started to be worried too, although he wouldn't show it. Hutch knew his partner better than anyone, and if he thought Starsky was in trouble, well, he was usually right about these things. "Huh", he grunted, reading the report that Hutch had in front of him, "I remember that. Mike Anderson, I used to know him. That bust was a mess." Dobey shook his head, and Hutch looked at him questioningly. "Damn guy hid himself away from danger instead of going out there and covering his partner. The criminals got away and his partner was shot dead. Mike had to leave the force after that."

Hutch shook his head too in disbelief; he couldn't imagine not covering his partner.

"Cap, this cop might have a lead if it was something to do with these guys me and Starsky were just working on, and it's all we got to go on right now. Maybe he knows some of their associates or something."

"Yeah, it's a start, why don't you get his address and go see him? Be careful though, he may not be too friendly. I haven't seen him for years but he didn't take too kindly to being thrown off the force."

***

Hutch pulled up outside the address Records had given him and stared up at the unpleasant looking house. The building made his stomach knot just from looking at it. An ugly house that had seen better days, with the walls cracked and the windows filthy, and in the kind of neighbourhood where it was safer to mind your own business, and no one would dare to look twice at any strange event.

He got out of the car, making sure to lock it, and walked slowly up to the door. After a brief hesitation, he knocked and waited. When there was no response after a minute or so, he knocked louder and called out, "Mr Anderson? Police, I just wanna ask you some things." When there was still no answer, he cautiously pushed the door open and peered inside. It was evening and the house was dark. He groped around to find a light switch, and finding one, snapped it on. He moved through the hallway and into the first room. The first thing that struck him was the state of the room: there were dirty dishes, empty bottles and junk everywhere. The next thing that struck him was the papers laid out on the table. More specifically, the pictures that were on the papers – they were of Starsky and himself.

Feeling his face pale, he edged closer to inspect them. They were newspaper cuttings. It was chilling how meticulously neat the cuttings were, all the edges straight, and the even way that they were laid out. Taking more time to look at the articles, he saw that they were the newspaper reports of some of the more high-profile cases he and his partner had been involved in, and they were all laid out in timeline-order. Someone had scribbled corrections on most of the articles, and they weren't compliments.

Hutch backed away from the table and began searching the house. He went into every room, gun drawn, but found nothing except more disorder. Moving back into the hallway, he swore loudly and with a last glance around, he left the house, deciding to head home and change, then call Dobey and think about what to do next. He wasn't sure what those papers meant, but it couldn't be good.

***

Starsky thought he'd just heard his partner's voice. "Hutch?" he called weakly, then mentally made fun of himself. _No one would have heard that. _He was probably imagining things anyway. All this darkness could make you see things that weren't there, why not hear things? Hutch might not even know anything had happened to him, although it was hard for him to believe that, they always seemed to have a sixth sense about each other. But what if Hutch just assumed he was with a girl or something, and hadn't even started looking for him? By then it might be too late. He couldn't see how much blood was soaking through his clothes, but he could guess.

And then there was the fact that the guy who'd taken him had gone out. He'd said he was going to kill Hutch if Starsky got hit, and so now Starsky was worrying about his partner's safety as well. He hoped Hutch wasn't at home, since this guy probably knew where he lived. After he'd heard the man leave, he'd made another attempt to escape, thinking he could maybe get to Hutch before the guy did, but he'd not got very far before falling on his face, and all he could do now was sit there and worry without being able to do anything.

It was getting cold in the basement, and he was resigning himself to spending a lot more time there. At least the guy had left him his jacket, although he suspected his coldness wasn't completely due to the temperature in the room. He was getting thirsty too, but he thought that was the least of his worries. Shivering and wrapping his arms tighter around his chest, he returned to his thoughts of Hutch.


	4. Chapter 4

**Shot in the Dark**

**Chapter 4**

Hutch put out an APB on Mike Anderson on his way home, as he was now certain that this guy had something to do with Starsky's disappearance, and knew where he was. Starsky had been gone more than 24 hours now, he guessed.

Pulling up at Venice Place, Hutch got out of the car and headed towards his door, but was stopped by a gun in his back. "Hello Hutchinson. I've been looking for you."

"Mike?" Hutch guessed.

"That's 'Sir' to you, kid. Now, have you got your gun on you? Give it to me."

Hutch obeyed, passing his gun to Anderson. Maybe if he played this Mike's way, the man would lead him to Starsky. Now he was just praying that Mike wouldn't check if he had any other weapons on him. Hutch hadn't been back to his apartment since he started looking for Starsky, and was still in the same clothes. The clothes in which he'd placed Starsky's gun when he took it from his friend's apartment earlier.

"Good boy. Now, you're going to get back in your car and we're going to my place."

"Where's Starsky?" asked Hutch, playing for time, although those words reminded him of another time he'd used those words, and been searching for his kidnapped partner. He hoped that this time his partner hadn't been hurt as much as he had by Simon Marcus' lot.

"I'm afraid your friend has got you into some trouble. I warned him that if he lost, I'd come and get you, but I don't think he tried hard enough. Now stop talking and get in the car!" he ordered, jabbing Hutch with his gun. He was an unpleasant-looking man in his 50's, with untidy grey hair, and dishevelled clothing.

So Hutch got in the car with the madman and started to drive back to the house he'd just been at. Maybe there was something he'd missed there, that would have let him know where Starsky was. Or maybe Starsky had been at that house all along, somewhere. It made him shiver, to think that Starsky might have been in that house while he was there looking at those newspaper pictures, and he hadn't noticed. He might have been able to save him before the madman came back, but he'd obviously missed something, and consequently missed his chance to save his friend earlier.

Anderson spoke, seeming keen to explain his thoughts to Hutch. "I never liked you and your partner you know."

"We've never met."

"I didn't need to meet you to know I didn't like you. Damn kids like you and him come in and think you can solve all the cases; cases people like me were working on before you even got to that precinct! In the news all the time, everyone calling you heroes. You're not heroes; you're just doing a job! And the way you and him are so close, all the time, it sickens me!" Anderson was getting increasingly angry just thinking about what Starsky and Hutchinson had done. As if it wasn't bad enough that these _kids _were getting all these high profile cases, who did they think they were to arrest the guys he, a great cop, couldn't catch all those years ago? That had been the last straw, and he knew he had to teach them a lesson.

"At least I didn't kill my partner" commented Hutch, unable to stop that remark escaping. It was the wrong thing to say, for Anderson whacked his face with the gun. At least he hadn't fired it, Hutch thought dryly, although hitting him while he was driving wasn't the smartest move either. He wiped at the blood dripping from his lip.

"Well, your partner's killed you Hutchinson. I warned him."

***

Hutch pulled up at that sinister house for the second time, then waited to see what Anderson would do.

"Get out" ordered Anderson, poking him with the gun.

The man led Hutch into the hallway, where he stopped beside a tall cabinet. He pushed the obviously empty cabinet aside with ease, revealing a door, and Hutch cursed himself for not having thought to check that. "Your partner's down there," he informed Hutch, grinning cruelly, "want to join him?" Opening the door, he pushed Hutch through.

"Starsk?" he called quietly, "you down there?"

"Hutch – oh no, he got you too. It's all my fault."

Hutch frowned at the sound of Starsky's voice.

"Starsk, are you hurt?" he asked. Receiving no answer, he turned to face Anderson again, only to see him reaching for his gun. Lightning fast, Hutch reached back and drew Starsky's gun from his own waistband, and shot Anderson, the bullet hitting him in the shoulder; not enough to kill him, but enough to make sure he was no longer a threat. Anderson dropped to the ground, unconscious, and Hutch grabbed his gun, as well as his own gun that the man had taken from him.

Hearing a yelp from Starsky at the sound of the shot, Hutch called down reassuringly "It's okay now Starsk, I'll be right back. Just going to call backup."

Jogging outside, Hutch reached into his car for the radio and requested the backup. "Oh, and an ambulance", he added. "In fact, make that two." He then asked to be patched through to Dobey.

"Captain, Mike Anderson had Starsky."

"What?" barked Dobey.

"Yeah, he was keepin' him in the basement of his house. I-I didn't know, the door was hidden. Cap'n, he had all these...pictures, defaced pictures, of me and Starsk, on his coffee table. I think Starsky's hurt. I called the ambulance and backup, I'm gonna go and check on him now." Hutch sounded shocked, and Dobey felt sympathy for him; he knew how close his best detectives were.

"You do that. I'm on my way."

Hutch replaced the radio and headed back into the building and towards the door to the basement.

***

Starsky had heard Hutch's voice, followed by the gun shot, and was terrified that Hutch had been hit. He'd sounded alright when he said he was going to get backup, but then, what if he was just trying to hide an injury from Starsky?

Determined to go and find out, Starsky tried to stagger to his feet, only to fall back against the wall and slide down again, crying out at the new pain that created in his chest. If he couldn't go and see, he was going to shout until his friend answered him.

"Huuutch!"


	5. Chapter 5

**Shot in the Dark**

**Chapter 5**

Hutch slammed the basement door open, still furious with Anderson, and it hit the wall with a bang.

Starsky whimpered at the sound and threw his arms up to protect his head.

Hutch heard that tiny sound, and searched for a light switch. Flicking it on, he finally spotted a pathetic form huddled in the corner, in amongst all the basement junk, and scrambled down the steps so fast he almost fell on his face. Quickly he crossed the room to Starsky to try and search for injuries.

"Easy Starsk, it's me. You're safe now. Help's on its way." He didn't like that look of panic in his friend's eyes, or the way he blinked as though he hadn't seen light for days. _Has he been in the dark the whole time?_ He explored inside his friend's jacket – at least Anderson had left it on him – and found a large, warm patch of blood. Starsky was shaking, and Hutch checked his forehead for fever, finding what he'd been looking for.

Starsky tried to get away from Hutch's touch. "No-no, you can't be here. They got you?" he asked, panicked. "He was gonna kill you – that guy said he'd kill you if I got hit. Are you hurt?" he asked, reaching up to stroke the spreading bruise on Hutch's face.

Suppressing his rage at what had been done to his friend, Hutch settled for trying to comfort him instead, and forced a smile on his face. "He thought he got me, but I got him. And shouldn't it be me asking you how you are? Damn it Starsk. Why have you always gotta get yourself into these messes, huh? You sure can attract the weirdoes", he joked, trying to calm his friend, and it seemed to work, for some light returned to Starsky's eyes, and he repeated their old joke.

"Hutch? How do I look?"

"You look great partner."

"You bet I do."

"But you're not supposed to have an extra hole in you." Hutch gently lifted Starsky's t-shirt to look at the injury, but not gently enough, as Starsky flinched away from him and bit hard on his lip to keep from making a sound.

"Sorry babe, it's okay, just let me take a look. I promise I'll be more careful" Hutch soothed, as he explored the mess. "The bullet's still in it. Maybe you'll be lucky though, it's pretty far over. Might have missed all the important stuff."

"One gun wasn't enough for ya?" joked Starsky, noticing the three guns in Hutch's belt.

"Well, I thought it was best to come prepared," Hutch answered, keeping the banter going to distract Starsky.

"Is that my gun?"

"Yeah, I stopped by your apartment this afternoon when you weren't answering your phone. What happened, by the way, when did he get you?"

"The other night, after you dropped me off at home. I think he hit me, and then I woke up here."

Starsky shivered harder, and Hutch immediately sat down next to him, wrapping an arm around his shoulders as they waited. Poor Starsky had been here over twenty-four hours, alone and scared, and Hutch had been at this house earlier, not realising how near to his friend he really was.

"Hutch? Who was the guy? I mean, what did he want us for?"

"He used to be a cop. He didn't like our arrest record, or our pretty faces in the papers."

"Used to be?"

"Yeah, he got thrown off the force. Remember those guys we arrested this week? He was on a case involving them years ago, but when it was time to bust them he lost his nerve and hid, and his partner got killed. Dobey knew him."

"Huh," was Starsky's answer. He was sliding over further and further, leaning into Hutch.

"Hang on babe, you'll be out of here soon."

Hearing sirens, Hutch gently laid Starsky down on the floor. "Back in a minute, babe, I'll just go and let 'em know what's going on."

"'kay", whispered Starsky, not putting up much resistance at this point, then, "Hutch?"

"Yeah babe, I'm here", he replied, laying a hand on Starsky's face.

"Don't wanna go to hospital."

"Well you're gonna have to buddy, that bullet isn't going to take itself out."

***

Hutch sat watching Starsky sleep after the surgery, and felt incredibly thankful that he still had his friend. He had been right: the bullet had just missed everything important, but was going to hurt like hell for a while. He was still angry though, at Anderson, at everyone who'd allowed him to become the way he was, and at the job he and Starsky had to do every day. Maybe this job was too dangerous; both himself and Starsky were hated by many criminals, who would stop at nothing to get their revenge. Revenge that they were taking because Starsky and Hutch had dared to try and protect innocent citizens from their activities. He knew that it was an important job, and he and Starsky were good at it, but he didn't know how many more times he could see things like this happen.

He glanced at Starsky's face and saw confused blue eyes gazing back at him. His anger instantly faded. "Hi buddy. You back with me?"

Starsky nodded, then whispered "Home?"

Hutch had to laugh at that, his partner didn't like to be in a hospital a minute longer than he had to.

"Soon, buddy. You've to stay here a few days so they can keep an eye on you, then they'll let you go, as long as there's someone to watch you."

Starsky asked the question with his eyes.

Hutch smiled "Yeah, I'll stay with you. You don't get rid of me that easy."

TBC


	6. Chapter 6

**Shot in the Dark**

**Chapter 6**

**Last chapter, guys! Thanks so much to everyone who's followed the story, and especially those who left such nice reviews and made me post quicker! - Brook, Aussie Mitcham, Hotshow and Janet Brown. Also thanks to Wuemsel for convincing me it was a good idea :)**

**Now, on with the story:**

***

Hutch drove his friend home, intending to stay with him until he was recovered. Although he was still in pain, Starsky was as excited as a kid at being let out of the hospital.

They pulled up outside Starsky's apartment, and Hutch went to the passenger side to help Starsky out and into the building. Depositing him on the couch, Hutch headed for the kitchen.

"You want anything Starsk? A drink?"

"Beer would be nice."

Hutch rolled his eyes. "Dummy, you know you can't have beer. Anything else?"

"Yeah, I think I got some root beer."

Hutch passed Starsky the drink and sat down next to him.

Something had been bothering Starsky, or more specifically, he thought something had been bothering Hutch, which bothered him. He needed to ask his friend about it. "Hutch? Back at the hospital, the first time I woke up, I was lookin' at you, and maybe it was the drugs, but you looked kinda angry. What were you thinking about?"

Hutch sighed. "It was just... sometimes I have doubts about what we do. How many times have we been shot, beaten up, kidnapped, poisoned, tortured? And you always seem to get the worst of the torture. I don't know how long I can keep seeing it happen."

Starsky smiled gently. "But we're good at what we do. I can't imagine doing anything else. Well, except maybe becoming professional dancers. I hate seeing you get hurt too, but you know we're always gonna be okay, as long as we got one thing."

"Me and thee?" Hutch guessed.

"Me and thee."

Hutch smiled back at his friend, who always could cheer him up. "Right pal, I think it's time you were in bed. The doc told you to take it easy."

"I am takin' it easy, I'm on the couch," he pointed out.

"Easier than that, pal." Hutch hauled Starsky off the couch and to his bed, then spent a moment fussing over him, making sure he had enough blankets and pillows, before Starsky batted his hands away. Smiling, Hutch flicked off the light. "G'night Gordo."

"Uh, Hutch, can we have the light on?"

His face softening in understanding, Hutch strode over and switched on the bedside lamp. "Better?"

"Yeah. Hey Hutch? You're not leaving are ya?"

"Course not."

Hutch sat on the bed next to Starsky, his hand on his friend's shoulder, staying in that position until they both fell asleep.

Hutch woke up a few hours later, in the same position, and noticed that at some time during the night, Starsky had grabbed hold of his arm and was holding it like a teddy bear. For a moment Starsky gripped his arm tighter and mumbled something in his sleep, then his eyes flashed open and he shouted "Hutch!" Hutch saw his fear and quickly reassured him.

"It's okay Starsk, I'm still here. Were you dreaming?"

"Yeah... dreamed he got you and I couldn't do anything." Starsky took a shaky breath and looked at Hutch as if to be sure he was really there.

"It's alright, he can't hurt us now. He's in the hospital under police guard, he's not going anywhere. He'll be locked up for what he did."

"Yeah. But do you feel sorry for him at all? I mean, all the stuff you were saying about the job, maybe it got to him too."

"Maybe, but I have to say, I don't feel that sorry for him. Although it can't be easy having to watch hotshots like us at work," he grinned. "I'm sure he'll get the help he needs anyway."

"Yeah, he'll probably get off on an insanity plea or somethin'." Starsky's eyes were closing again and Hutch wrapped a protective arm around him, which Starsky promptly snuggled into and fell asleep.

Hutch waited until he was sure Starsky was fast asleep, then allowed his own eyes to close. His back would protest his choice of sleeping position in the morning, but he didn't care, he needed to be there, for his friend – and for himself.

***

Starsky's nightmares persisted for several weeks, and he hated to be left alone in the dark, and so Hutch stayed with him for that time, in the same room more often than not, as they found that Starsky's dreams caused him to shout Hutch's name whenever he wasn't nearby.

He was also wary of loud noises – Hutch had to remember not to slam the door or do anything that would cause a banging noise. On one occasion where he forgot this, Starsky almost leapt into his arms, but stopped himself and grinned sheepishly. "Sorry Hutch. It's stupid, I know."

"Starsk, it's not stupid. That guy traumatised you, you need time to get over it. You know you can talk to me any time."

"Yeah. Thanks, Hutch."

Starsky had already told his friend the details of what had gone on in the basement, and what Anderson's cruel plan had been, but he still feared what _could _have happened, and he hated the fact that he hadn't been able to warn Hutch that Anderson was looking for him too. Every loud noise reminded him of the gunshots, and in his nightmares it was Hutch that the bullets were tearing into, while he sat at the side, injured, and unable to do anything to save his friend.

Meanwhile Hutch was angry that the police force had allowed the creation of a monster like Anderson, and angry at what the man had done to his confident, exuberant partner. Every time he saw his friend jump at a loud noise, or wince in pain, he got angrier.

This was until Starsky talked with him. Starsky always could calm him down, or stop him feeling guilty, and he also knew that Hutch was better at feeling guilty than anyone, even when he had no reason to. Hutch had no reason to feel guilty this time; he had immediately known that something was wrong when Starsky hadn't answered the phone, and begun looking for him. A lot of people would have thought Starsky was just busy doing his own thing, and waited until it was too late. Hutch had known, and had investigated, had the foresight to take Starsky's gun, put himself in danger by going to Anderson's house, had the intelligence to go along with Anderson when he led Hutch back to his home where Starsky was being held, and eventually saved his partner before he had a chance to bleed to death.

Starsky told his best friend all this, and watched as Hutch finally began to forgive himself. Hutch had thought that he shouldn't have left Starsky alone when he was drunk, but Starsky had pointed out that if that had happened, they both might have been taken by Anderson, and then who knew what might have happened? At least Hutch had been free to save him, although he hadn't told Hutch that he didn't want him to come, if it meant that Anderson was going to have the chance to hurt him too. But Hutch knew. They both knew that they never wanted to see the other hurt, and their first concern was always each other's safety.

***

Anderson was committed to an institution. With Hutch's help, Starsky's nightmares and fears would fade, and as his injury healed, he was able to return to work. Hutch was full of pride at his partner's strength, and both were grateful for the friendship they shared – 'me and thee' forever.

THE END


End file.
